Arum pictum

 

This is my Arum pictum grown from AGS seed, I think it's 4-5 years old now. It's the first Arum I've grown (I thought it was about time to give them a go). A.pictum is from the Balearics and is an autumn flowering species. It comes in various forms, the most usual has a dark spathe and spadix so this is one of the less usual forms. The flower doesn't last long, about a week, which can be a good thing if it decides to emit it's foul smelling "perfume". Some years it does, some it doesn't.

Oxalis lobata

 

The Oxalis are a big and varied family, from pernicious weeds to alpine treasures from Chile and colourful South African low landers. Oxais lobata is from Chile but I think from low altitudes. Bright green lush looking leaves and golden yellow flowers. It's supposed to be autumnal but I find it starts flowering late summer. 

I now have a couple of large pots in the greenhouse and an escape in a trough. In the trough it is a bit neater, in the greenhouse the flower stems tend to draw a bit. It's survived in the trough for several years now but has only grown quite slowly.

In old books people are warned that this has an odd habit of having two dormancies, in the summer and the winter. Apparently people used to complain that the plant had died to the nurseries. Seeing as it wasn't exactly easy to get except from specialists even then I'm suprised a prospective buyer would be unaware of this. Having said that, for me it only dies back in summer, it remains in leaf from late August until the late spring.

Cyclamen purpurascens

The Cyclamen species are probably my foavourite plants and I grew most of the species and subspecies. 

Right now Cyclamen purpurascens and Cyclamen colchicum are in flower. Cyclamen purpurascens is variable in the quality of the flowers. It can be dumpy and with washed out looking flowers, it can be a graceful shape and a full cyclamen pink flowers. The leaves also vary from nothing special to very attractive.

Although Cyclamen purpurascens is widely distributed and grows generally in subalpine woodland, where it is more or less evergreen, but I’ve never found it very easy to grow in the UK. I have had some great plants in the greenhouse in full sun (!) and some outside. I'm now trying it in shade in the greenhouse because the newer plants I am growing don't seem to like the sun. I also have some in a frame and one pot in a shady sand bed. So far I have found Cyclamen colchicum much easier, better germination, better general growth and flowering.